Last night on MSNBC, Alex Wagner officially took over the 9PM hour from Rachel Maddow.

Well, for 4 days a week.

Wagner hosts Maddow’s old time slot on Tuesday-Friday. Maddow still does Monday.

If that sounds strange, it’s because it is.

“A lot of people watch Rachel Maddow,” Wagner said, “and hopefully many of those same people will come out and watch the rest of the week.”

I feel for Wagner, with Maddow still doing Monday’s Wagner is always going to be looked at as the pinch hitter and you know the cries of “she’s not as good as Rachel” are going to ring down.

But, Wagner is going into the new gig with a great attitude. “Rachel is incomparable and woe to anybody who tries to duplicate what she does,” Wagner said. “Because that’s an impossibility. I would never try.”

She is going to forge her own path and I have no doubt that she will. But, that means the Monday show, will have a different feel and look the rest of the week.

I never understood why MSNBC didn’t move Maddow to primetime on Sunday and then give Wagner he own slot and show Monday through Friday.

It seems to make more sense, but who am I kidding, we’re talking about cable news here.